One and two dimensional bar codes have been developed as machine readable representations of information primarily for use in packaging, price tags and inventory control. However, the components of the bar code elements, either in part or in whole, restrict the creative graphical design of the bar code. For example, two dimensional bar codes generally store information along the height as well as the length of a symbol as a series of black and white squares within a grid. Accordingly, variation within the grid is limited to rearrangement of the black and white squares.
As recognized by the present inventors, what is needed is a graphically based image or icon that can serve as a link from physical material or visual displays to electronic data. It is against this background that the various embodiments of the present invention were developed.